Barry Poznick, general manager of unscripted television at Amazon MGM Studios, will step down from his role and sign a new three-year production deal with the company starting January 1.
Poznick will continue as executive producer on all of MGM’s reality television franchises and will continue to provide creative oversight. He will serve as liaison between production, network partners and the studio for shows such as “The Voice,” “Shark Tank,” “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” “Real Housewives of Rhode Island,” “The Real Housewives of Orange County,” “Vanderpump Rules” and “American Gladiators,” among others.
Poznick first joined MGM in 2016 as president of Alternative Television, reporting at the time to Worldwide Television Group chairman Mark Burnett. As Burnett’s influence grew, he handed Poznick the programming reins, including the final 20 seasons of “Survivor.” During his tenure, Poznick also led the acquisition of Evolution Media and Big Fish Entertainment, while launching an international unit based in the United Kingdom.
When Amazon acquired MGM in 2022, Poznick moved from president of MGM Alternative to his current role as chief executive, where he launched several Prime Video shows, including “Are Your Smarter Than a Celebrity” hosted by Travis Kelce, “007: Road to a Million” with Brian Cox and the upcoming reboot of “American Gladiators” with The Miz and Rocsi Diaz.
Poznick built a reputation producing talents such as Chelsea Handler, Jeff Foxworthy, Ken Jeong, Kevin Hart, Mandy Moore and the late Joan Rivers. He also ran ZOO Productions, a company he founded and then sold to All3Media in 2008.
“His exceptional ability to create and deliver hit shows has been instrumental in consistently delivering compelling programming that resonates with audiences around the world. His deep understanding of global formats and proven experience producing top-rated shows make this transition a natural evolution of his celebrated entertainment career,” Peter Friedlander, Amazon’s global head of television, said in a memo to staff. “We are delighted that Barry will continue its relationship with Amazon through a producer agreement, allowing us to continue our successful partnership.”
Following Poznick’s departure, Lucilla D’Agostino and Kitty Gamble will continue to lead creative development, while Justin Dudek will continue to lead physical production. Ryan Singer will also continue to lead business affairs, while Tony Borbagiovanni will continue to lead production financing.
More to come…
